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GREENSBORO -- The Triad TV market recorded the nation's second-highest overnight ratings for WFMY's telecast of the New England Patriots' 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, surpassing even Charlotte.

Sunday night's broadcast received a 54.1 overnight rating and a 72 share of viewers in the Triad market. Only Kansas City posted a higher local rating -- 57.2, with a 71 share.

The rating represents the percentage of TV sets in the market that were tuned to the game. The share number is a percentage of sets in use that were tuned to the game. In the Triad, the share would be 72 percent of 645,430 households or 464,710.

WFMY's numbers surpassed those of the CBS outlets in Charlotte, the Panthers' home market, and Raleigh. Charlotte's numbers were a 49.7 rating and a 72 share. Raleigh's were 49.2 and 66.

Bill Lancaster, WFMY's general sales manager, could not determine whether the Super Bowl represented the highest-rated program in the history of the market or the station, but called it "the highest-rated program in recent memory.''

Nationally, more than 89 million people watched the Super Bowl, according to a CBS estimate. The game drew a 44.2 national rating and a 63 audience share, based on a sample of 55 markets provided by Nielsen Media Research. A national ratings point represents 1,084,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's 108.4 million TV homes.

The national rating figure represented an increase over the 43.8 number for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

The Triad rating also topped its 43.2 rating and 57 share for the NFC championship game, in which the Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 14-3.